


Shroud

by Saiyon



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:48:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29662695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saiyon/pseuds/Saiyon
Summary: One day, Bella just appears in Jacob's home with no explanation, but something is clearly wrong with his old friend. As he and Bella struggle to deal with the problems chasing after Bella, Bella has to deal with a new struggle in the form of two women.
Relationships: Bella Swan/Kate/Leah Clearwater
Comments: 1
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Don't mind me, I'm just gonna leave this here...

Chapter 1

“Uh...Bells, what are you doing?” Jacob Black asked his longtime friend, looking more than a little concerned for her.

“Don’t you have eyes, Jake? I’m working out,” Bella huffed as she landed another two hit combo to the punching bag...and caused even more stuffing to fall out in the process.

“You’re not working out, Bella. You’re beating my poor old punching bag to a pulp.” Eyeing her warily, he took a step forward to try and save the thing, only to jump back just in time as Bella delivered a spin kick so hard, it broke the metal hook of the punching bag. The punching bag went flying into the wall before slumping into the floor, spilling out guts and thoroughly defeated.

“No, Pablo!” Jake exclaimed in horror, rushing over to his fallen comrade.

As Bella took a deep breath and centered herself, she was now the one to look at Jacob with concern. “You named your punching bag?”

“Of course I did, he was an ally! We worked so hard together…” Jacob put his hand on the punching bag, remembering all of the times he had used Pablo to work out. “We had so many memories. Until you MURDERED him!” Jacob whirled at Bella, launching himself at the slightly taller girl, ready to avenge Pablo by any means necessary—only for Bella to dodge, grab his arm, and throw him right back to Pablo. It was Jake’s turn to hit the wall, sliding down next to the dead punching bag head first. He stayed upside down for a minute, just staring at Bella as he worked to get his breath back.

Bella crouched in front of him with a grin. “You good there, Jakey?”

“Yeah, just been awhile. I’m not used to your abuse anymore.” Bella stuck his tongue out at Jacob, making him laugh. “Oh yeah, almost forgot. What are you doing in my house?”

“Your back door was unlocked,” Bella said with a shrug.

Still upside down, Jacob frowned, pointing an accusatory finger at Bella. “It was not!”

“It was after I picked it.”

“...Bella, that’s a crime.” Did Jacob really have to go over what was illegal and what wasn’t with Bella again?

“Eh, not like your dad will care.” Another shrug from Bella, and then she grabbed Jake by his leg and pulled him away from the wall. Unbalanced, Jacob fell forward, right on his face, with a grunt of pain. Bella laughed hard, harder than she usually did, as Jacob scrambled to a sitting position.

“So why are you here?” Jake asked after a minute, when it was clear that Bella wasn’t going to stop laughing. 

“I just told you—“

“No, I mean, why are you here in Forks? You live in Phoenix, remember?” It had been a complete surprise, Charlie always told Jacob when Bella was coming down to visit, and he hadn’t heard a word from him.

“Oh yeah, that.” Bella became serious for a moment, and her eyes seemed to darken as she remembered the whole reason she was blowing off steam in the first place. “Reneé got remarried to some guy, and I decided it was best to get away from that. So I moved here.”

“Damn Bella, that’s huge news!” Jake exclaimed excitedly, tackling his friend hard in a hug. Of course, Bella didn’t even rock a little from the impact, staying firmly in her crouch. “I can’t believe you’re actually…” Wait, this news was a little too big, actually. Too big for Charlie to have hid it from Jake even if Charlie had tried. He pulled back from the hug, gazing at his longtime best friend warily. “Bells, does Charlie  _ know  _ that you’re moving in with him?” The suspicious silence as Bella purposely didn’t look at him was all the confirmation Jake needed, and he punched Bella hard in the shoulder. “Bella, what the hell? Did you even tell Charlie you were coming down?” More silence. “Damn it Bella, tell me you at least told your mom you were moving out.”

“I left her a note!” Bella finally spoke, trying to retain at least a little pride.

“A note? You left her a  _ note _ ? How did you even get down here in the first place? Oh my god, Bella, what the hell.” Jake was panicking now, sure that he was somehow going to get in trouble for this, but all it took was a sigh from Bella, and he shut up. There was so much heaviness from the sigh that it concerned him, and he realized that Bella really wasn’t okay. He pulled back even further to watch his friend worriedly. “Bella, you didn’t leave just because of a remarriage did you?”

Bella scowled, not sure exactly how to explain the craziness of the last few months of her life, and just what happened to lead her to end up here in Forks of all places. She couldn’t figure out how to tell anyone...even her best friend. It was why she had done everything the way she did.

“Bells?”

The worry in Jacob’s voice tugged at Bella’s heartstrings, and without thinking too much about it, she raked both hands through her hair and looked up at the ceiling. It was a habit of hers ever since she was a kid and frustrated, but unable to put her feelings into words.

That’s when Jacob saw it; a large, pretty fresh cut right along her hairline, from above her left temple and trailing downwards in a wavy line to behind Bella’s ear, then to her jaw. If she hadn’t moved her hair, it wouldn’t have been visible, but now that Jacob saw it, it was all he could think about, all he could stare at, even when it was no longer in sight. He knew Bella would tell him about it when and if she wanted to, that it was easier to pull teeth from a child with no anesthetic than it was to pull information out of Bella when she didn’t want to give it. But this was still his best friend, and seeing that cut, seemingly made purposely, gave him a heart attack. He couldn’t keep himself silent.

“Bella, what the hell…your face…” Jacob reached out to touch the cut, unable to help himself. It was only when Bella looked at him, her eyes a lighter brown than he ever remembered, more  _ intense  _ than Jacob ever remembered, that Jacob dropped his hand and looked away with a shiver. That look...that wasn’t a look that belonged on his friend’s face. “Sorry,” he muttered after a minute, because Bella wouldn’t speak, wouldn’t break the silence.

Eventually Bella sighed, managing to pull herself out of her memories. “I’m sorry too, Jake. I didn’t think about where to go when I left; I just came here. I didn’t even think about what this would do to you.”

“Can you tell me what happened? Was it your mom’s new…?” Jacob couldn’t stop, he had to know who had done it, partly out of concern, and partly out of a need to hammer his fists through the face of whoever did that to his best friend.

“No, it wasn’t him.” Bella finally sat down normally and leaned back on her hands, biting her lower lip as she thought about what she could tell him. Even now, despite being physically okay, her palms continued to burn. Would that pain ever go away? “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, Jake. I just don’t know how. Don’t know what to say and what you’ll believe.”

“You know I’ll always believe you, Bells,” Jacob rushed to assure his friend. And he did. No matter what happened, no matter what Bella did or said, he would always believe Bella. A bit blindly, admittedly, as it was that unwavering faith in Bella that led to him getting into all kinds of situations as a kid, both with Bella and because he had been tricked or pranked by her.

Despite this, his faith, his loyalty, was unwavering. Bella had shown him so much, things he never even knew existed...had been there through him for the toughest times of his life whether she had been allowed to come to him or not. When he had gotten into his first serious motorcycle accident, Bella had been on a trip in another country around the world, and somehow had managed to get to La Push in time for Jacob to wake up. To not believe in a friend like that would be insanity.

“I’m serious, Bells. You know I’ll always believe you, no matter what.”

Bella looked at him hopelessly for a minute, before letting out a humorless laugh. “Even if I don’t believe in myself?” Because every after all that she went through, there had just been so much crazy, so many unexplainable things, that Bella really couldn’t believe in her own eyes.

Jacob, however, didn’t have the same wavering unsurity. “Yeah, even then.” He gave Bella a huge grin, one that hadn’t changed since they were little kids. Despite herself, Bella felt her spirits getting lifted. “You’re the great Isabella Swan for a reason, Bells! After all we’ve been through together, how could I not believe in you?”

This time when Bella laughed, it was genuine. For the first time in months, Bella felt pure relief. “Well when you say it like that, how can I argue?”

“Right then.” Jacob grunted as he got to his feet, holding out his hand to Bella to help her get up too as he said, “Let’s call your dad so we can get you settled in at his place, and then we can continue our conversation there.” 

Bella didn’t take his hand, and instead appeared to shrink in on herself a little as she bit her lip nervously. “Yeah, about that...you can’t tell Charlie I’m here.”

“Wait, what?”

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A few hours later after Bella had dropped the bombshell, she was currently, and very ironically, sleeping in Jacob’s closet. Not for long, of course; they just had to wait for Billy to check in on Jake like he did every night since Jacob had been born. Bella’s only concern was that her stomach’s growl might alert the man to her presence. Being Charlie’s best friend, Billy would then immediately call Charlie in concern to tell him that Charlie’s lesbian daughter was sleeping in his son’s closet, even if Bella and Jacob begged him not to.

_ I really should have packed more snacks,  _ Bella thought grimly to herself as she heard the first squeak of Billy’s wheelchair. She pulled her legs to her chest, trying to make herself as small as possible. In Jacob’s bed, Jake was doing everything he could not to tense and not seem suspicious as his bedroom door opened.

_ Shut up shut up shut up  _ Bella told her stomach desperately as her stomach let out a pathetic gurgle. Billy didn’t appear to notice anything amiss as he wheeled himself into the room, patting his son’s head gently, a loving smile on his face. He wheeled himself to Jake’s window, checking to make sure it was locked, before slowly and carefully wheeling himself back out and closing the door quietly behind him. The man did have trouble saying it from time to time, but every action he took showed how much he really loved his kids, and even now, it made Bella’s heart squeeze.

Both kids waited even longer, listening to Billy’s wheelchair squeak it’s way into Billy’s room, then the soft thud of Billy closing the door behind him. And still, they continued to wait a little while longer, just in case.

“Finally,” Bella whispered to herself as she opened the closet door, a loud growl from her stomach as apparently the damned organ also needed to announce its newfound freedom. She stretched hard, groaning as her body popped in all kinds of places. “This week is going to be torture.”

“Maybe you can head over to Charlie’s sooner? My closet isn’t exactly prime real estate,” Jacob mumbled in concern as he pulled off his covers and sat up.

“You’re telling me. That shit hole needs at least seven cans of febreze to become tolerable. Do you ever clean your clothes?” Before Jacob could try and protect the strange stench coming from his closet, Bella continued. “No, I don’t think I can. If I wait before eight days, they’ll probably still be keeping an eye on Charlie’s house. They’ll know I’m there.”

In the hours between the “I can’t go to Charlie” thing and Bella ending up in Jacob’s closet, Bella had told him only a little more about the situation. Something about getting involved with the wrong group of people. He had tried asking who “they” were but Bella herself didn’t seem to know, and didn’t even know how she had gotten involved with them in the first place. As far as she had been aware, she had been having a normal day, but after a strange dream she couldn’t even really remember, she started noticing strange people showing up wherever she did. Things just escalated from there.

How she knew eight days was how long Bella should wait was another mystery that Bella didn’t want to explain. Something about how she had come across that information had apparently fucked her up.

When Bella’s stomach let out another rumble in protest, Jacob couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as he got up. “Let me go get you some food before your stomach throws a coup.”

In seconds, Bella was at his bed, lunging across it to grab her best friend by the back of his collar and drag him backwards. 

“Wait, Bells, choking—“ Jacob tried to protest, but then he was falling back onto the bed, landing with a grunt. Bella just looked down at him, struggling not to laugh as he glared up at her. “What was that for?”

“Sorry, I just…” Bella put a hand over her mouth, stifling a laugh that nearly escaped. “I couldn’t let you take food from your own home. It would make your dad suspicious if all of your food slowly started going missing.”

“Oh yeah.” Jacob sat up, rubbing his poor abused neck as he thought about what to do. Finally, he just looked up at Bella for answers. “So what are you going to do, Bella? You need to eat.” Another rumble from Bella’s stomach. “See? Your stomach agrees with me.”

“I have a lot of cash. I’m just going to have to sneak out and buy myself what I can.” Bella already wasn’t looking forward to it, as the nearest store Bella wouldn’t be recognized in was quite a long way away.

“Yeah, I guess that is the best option.” Jake glanced down at himself, realizing boxers, and only boxers, wasn’t the right kind of clothes to go out in. “Give me a sec to get changed and I’ll come with.”

“No, you stay here.” At Bella’s words, Jacob immediately froze, looking at Bella with such a wounded expression anyone who saw the expression would think Bella just ate his prized potato right in front of him. Which Bella knew, because she had accidentally cooked and eaten his prized potato a few years back. 

“But why? Bells, come on, I don’t think it’s safe—“

“For Billy to potentially check on his son again, only to find him missing? Yeah, I don’t think that’s safe either,” Bella interrupted, driving home her point immediately. “Your father can’t miss someone who doesn’t know is here. He can definitely miss his very large son who isn’t in his bed.”

“Yeah?” Jacob puffed up a little in pride. “I am getting some pretty big muscles, aren’t i?

“I’m talking about your belly,” Bella said, poking him hard in his stomach. Admittedly, it was pretty solid, but Bella couldn’t miss a chance to tease her best friend. “You’re getting pretty fat right here.”

Jacob put a hand to his heart, devastated. “Damn, Bella. First you kill Pablo, and now you feel the need to murder me?”

“All day every day,” Bella quipped in reply. Shrugging on her jacket, Bella unlocked the window and opened it. “Remember; stay here.”

“Fine, but keep me updated.”

“No can do, I don’t have a phone.” Bella didn’t even look at him as she delivered a shocking answer, and Jake just looked at his friend in disbelief. Bella seemed completely unaware of the way he was staring at her as she slung her backpack over her shoulder, so eventually Jacob had to speak.

“Since when?” Jake demanded, horrified. It took everything he had to remember he was supposed to stay quiet.

“Since I smashed it with a hammer back in Phoenix.” With no further explanation, Bella launched herself out into the night. Which meant Jacob didn’t have time to remember to warn her.

Jake knew a simple jump like that could hurt Bella. She had done it so many times, hadn’t gotten injured by that slightly above average jump since she was eight. That didn’t stop him from running to the window, eyes wide and heart hammering with nerves. Just in time to see Bella spring to her feet with a curse; little did she know, but Rachel had planted roses all along that side of the house. Of course, Bella being Bella, she didn’t think to check or adjust herself for a wider than usual jump.

“Damn it,” Bella hissed, dropping low to the ground. She had made some noise in her brief struggle, and she didn’t want to risk anyone glancing out of Jake’s house to see what the noise was about.

Thankfully, no one did, and Jacob felt comfortable enough to say “You okay Bells?”

Bella responded by flipping him off, and Jacob grinned. Yup, Bella was fine.

“Dumbass could’ve warned me,” Bella muttered to herself as she looked out into the dark and very dense forest. Before she could chicken out, she started the walk to where she had hidden her motorcycle. She really needed food.

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The trip to the nearest out of town grocery store had been hell. Despite having stuffed her face, her stomach, and her backpack, Bella was exhausted. Which was why she wasn’t on alert as she parked her motorcycle in its hidden spot like she should’ve been. She didn’t even realize something wrong as a presence crept up behind her, only feet away. 

“What are you  _ doing _ here?”

Bella instinctively jumped away from the person in shock, nearly stumbling backward onto her ass as she let out a curse. Thankfully, the person who had asked reached out a hand to grab Bella and steady her. The person attached to the hand was weak, however, so as Bella fell backwards, she only succeeded in pulling whoever it was with her.

Bella let out a grunt as the wind was knocked out of her, and judging by the person’s muttered curse, the person who had tried to help her hadn’t fared much better. Bella didn’t bother checking on the person who had landed on top of her just yet, keeping her eyes closed as she struggled to get her breath back.

“Did you have to drag me down with you?” The grumpy voice was so familiar, Bella already knew who it was.

“It was your fault for sneaking up on me like that,” Bella grumbled in reply.

“And for trying to help you after I did, apparently.” Bella could almost hear the wry smile of the other girl as she let out a huff, partially out of exasperation, partially in a laugh. “I’ve never seen you so scared before, Bella.”

“I have my reasons to be a bit jumpier these days.” Finally, Bella felt like she could open her eyes. Even in the darkness, the other girl’s face was as clear as day; Leah Clearwater was hovering over her. Making no move to get off of Bella, either. “What are you doing here, Leah?”

“I asked you first,” Leah said in response. Even in the darkness, her eyes seemed to sparkle with that bit of stubborn challenge, the hardass part of her that was always tight under the surface.

“You also nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“But  _ you  _ dragged me to the ground when I tried to stop you from falling.”

“Accidentally,” Bella shot back. “You’re the one who landed on top of me and nearly crushed me.”

“Accidentally,” Leah parroted, frowning at the stubborn brunette below her. “You’re lucky I recognized you. I almost called the cops when I saw you creeping around in the bushes. What are you doing here, Bella?”

Seeing no way out of explaining herself, Bella sighed. “I was buying some food while I stayed at Jake’s.” Food that was now most likely nothing but crumbs after getting crushed by both Bella and Leah. 

Leah frowned down at Bella. “At three in the morning, why? Billy never cares if you eat his food.” Bella could do nothing but curse Leah’s for having such a big brain as realization dawned on her features only seconds layer. “Unless Billy doesn’t know you’re here.”

“Please don’t tell him,” Bella blurted, not even going to try to deny it. “Please don’t tell anyone.” 

“Why not?” Leah had a mischievous, evil light to her eyes, one that immediately faded when she saw just how panicked Bella was. For whatever reason Bella was here, hiding out in Jake’s house, it was serious. “I won’t tell anyone,” Leah promised, and immediately felt Bella’s body relax under hers. Oh, right, she was still on top of Bella. She should probably do something about that.

“Thanks, Leah.” Bella’s voice distracted Leah as she started to get up, and now Leah found herself straddling the other girl in a pretty intimate position. It made Leah feel pretty flustered, realizing just how weird this would look to anyone who came across them...especially since she was dating Sam.

“Don’t thank me yet,” Leah said, making sure to quickly scramble off of the other girl. “You owe me one, Bella.”

“Yeah, I know.” Bella got to her own feet, brushing herself off. “I’ll definitely pay you back for this, Leah. You have no idea how much it means to me.”

_ You’re right; I don’t. But I already know you’re not going to tell me more.  _ That was one of the most aggravating things about Bella Swan. Ever since she was a little kid, the girl had been way too good at keeping things to herself. If she didn’t want you to know something, nothing you could do would ring that information out of her. At most, Bella would get upset with Leah for badgering her. 

“You still have my number, right?” Leah asked as Bella started to turn away from her. Bella paused, glancing over her shoulder in confusion. Yeah, Leah asking now did seem a little weird, didn’t it? “So I can call to collect, I mean. There’s no way I’m going to let you escape before paying me back.” Leah definitely didn’t want Bella to escape. She was definitely worried for Bella, and she’d be damned if she couldn’t keep an eye on her.

“Actually, no. I don’t really have a phone right now.” Bella sighed, clearly frustrated with the lack of phone, doing that thing of hers where she pushed both hands through her hair. That’s when Leah saw it; a long cut along the side of Bella’s face, hidden by her hair. It wasn’t old, either

“Bella, what…?” Leah gasped, and immediately rushed to the younger girl. Unlike with Jacob, Bella didn’t bother trying to stop Leah as Leah cupped Bella’s face in both hands, turning her head to the side to try and see the cut better in the darkness. When she couldn’t clearly see it, she ran a finger over the wound, tracing it from Bella’s temple, behind her ear, behind her jaw, down her neck...Bella did everything she could to stay still and suppress the shivers as Leah’s fingers danced along the sensitive broken skin, leaving a warm trail in her wake. When Leah’s hand continued along the cut, dipping under Bella’s shirt, following the line in a near circle on Bella’s shoulder, then continued over her heart, Bella immediately grabbed Leah’s hand with a gasp. She knew how far the wound went, and she knew she couldn’t let Leah trace it any further. It would be too dangerous for Bella to handle.

“Bella, what…who…?” Leah looked up into Bella’s face, didn’t even try to pull out of Bella’s grasp. She watched as Bella’s expression slipped from wariness to fear, then shut down completely. However, a little pain entered her eyes, and it was enough to make her want to just hug Bella and never let go.

“Please, Leah. Don’t ask.” 

Leah knew, if she pushed, she would drive Bella away. So she nodded, silently agreeing to drop it, if only for now. 

Bella sighed, the tension leaving her body in relief as she let go of Leah’s hand. She really had to stop that habit of hers, otherwise she’d reveal the wound to every person she met before the damn thing healed.

“Thanks, Leah. I’ll talk to you later.” Bella really didn’t think she could handle anymore, she was nearly run down by the sudden exhaustion that overtook her. Which was why she knew she just had to get back to Jacob’s room before she collapsed, whether Leah was ready for her to leave or not.

“I had a fight with Sam,” Leah called after her, making Bella freeze and stare back at her, both worried and confused. Before she could figure out if she would seem like too much of an asshole if she still left, Leah continued. “You asked me why I was out here. Figured I at least owed you a reply for that.” Leah shrugged and looked away, clearly uncomfortable admitting it. “It was afight over something stupid. So I left to get some air, and there you were.”

Leah hated talking about her personal problems, and both she and Bella knew it. But this was all Leah could think to do to show that she trusted Bella. That Leah trusted Bella, and that regardless of what Bella was dealing with, Bella could trust Leah, too.

_ Message received, Leah.  _ Bella nodded in understanding, turned around to leave, but this time, stopped herself. “Sam’s a dickhead.” Leah blinked at Bella’s words, then let out a surprised laugh.

“What did you say?” Leah asked, still laughing.

“He’s a dickhead.” Bella gazed seriously into Leah’s eyes. “A double dipped dickhead with extra shit brain sprinkles, too, if he doesn’t try to work whatever happened out with you.”

Leah couldn’t stop from smiling. “Thanks, Bella.”

“Of course.” Bella stopped herself before she could say anything more personal. She didn’t want to get weird. “It’s the truth.”

Flustered by the intensity behind Bella’s eyes, Leah glanced away, trying to compose herself. When she looked back up, however, Bella was gone.

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

“Bella, what happened to you?” Jacob whispered worriedly as he rushed over. He actually had to help Bella through the window, she was so tired, and once she was safely inside, she let herself just fall onto the floor. “Are you okay?”

“Just tired.” Bella threw her arm over her eyes, trying not to think too hard about what happened. “I ran into Leah just now.”

“You mean Leah Clearwater? Leah ‘hardass tattletale jerk nugget’ Clearwater?” Okay, now Jacob was alarmed. Leah had been the only one who had actively and successfully impeded some of Bella’s wilder adventures over the years, and now she knew Bella was here. This was trouble.

“Yeah.” There was nothing hard about Leah now, though...except her head. Not that Leah’s hard head was anything new, she had been famous for it. “You didn’t tell me she was back.” Leah had graduated high school early out of pure determination to get out of La Push, and was supposed to be at college right now.

“I didn’t think to. In case you haven’t noticed, Bells, it’s been a little crazy since you got back.” Bella didn’t answer, and Jacob started to worry. Why wasn’t Bella saying anything? “Bells? Hello?” Jacob crept over to Bella’s body, and after still no answer, Jacob picked Bella’s hand up off her face and moved it aside.

Somehow, in the span of a minute, Bella had fallen asleep.

“Damn it Bella.” Couldn’t she have at least waited to get in the closet before falling asleep? Jacob couldn’t exactly leave her out here when she was supposed to be hiding.

Seeing no other choice, Jacob slipped his hands under Bella’s armpits and started dragging her into the closet. Maybe Jacob hadn’t gained as much muscle as he thought, because it was a struggle. Pulling was hard, pushing was near impossible, and of course Bella wouldn’t wake up. Eventually, Jacob had to settle for half rolling her into the closet, then kind of stuffing her limbs in with her.

All Jacob could do was hope that Bella wouldn’t kill her for squishing her in like that as he collapsed into his own bed and fell asleep...or would have if he could forget about Leah. Leah, who knew Bella was here and might tell someone and put Bella’s life in danger.

“Damn it.” He rolled over and grabbed his phone from the nightstand, flipped it open, and called.

Leah answered before the first ring was over. “What do you want, Jacob?” Wow, for someone who sounded so irritated, she sure did answer fast. 

“Uh, um…” He really should have thought through what he was saying more before he had called. Jacob really had no idea what exactly to say. “Uh you see...it’s about Bella.”

There was a pause of silence, and then the rustle of fabric as Leah jumped out of bed. Jacob waited for Leah to answer, and it wasn’t until he heard multiple doors close that Leah finally spoke. 

“What happened? Is she okay?” Leah hissed, sounding on the verge of panic.

“Yeah.” Why was Leah so freaked out all of a sudden? What did Bella tell her to be this worried? “She’s fine. Just, uh…” Jacob felt another flash of guilt at how he hid Bella in the closet. “Sleeping.”

Leah found herself frowning in concern. There was just something about the way Jacob said “sleeping” that made Leah sure Jacob was hiding something.

“Jacob, what did you do?”

“Hey, I didn’t do anything!” Jacob protested, quick to defend himself. “I just had a little trouble getting Bella in the closet.”

“What?” Leah demanded in disbelief. Had she even heard Jacob right? “Why the hell is Bella in a closet?”

“I don’t have anywhere else to hide her, okay?” Jacob grumbled back. “She fell asleep before she could hide, and we couldn’t just leave her out where anyone can see her—” 

Leah almost offered her own home for Bella to stay hidden at, only to realize that her situation wasn’t any better. She still lived with her parents and Seth, when she wasn’t with Sam, and if Bella was so desperate to stay hidden that she’d sleep in Jacob’s funk tank, there’s no way she’d be comfortable being in the Clearwater guest room. Everyone would know she was there.

“Forget about it, this isn’t why I called you. Bella told me she ran into you tonight.” Jacob wanted to pace as his anxiety rose, trying to figure out what he could offer Leah to keep her quiet.

“And?” Leah relaxed against the sink of her bathroom, looking around for something to do while she talked. For some strange reason, Leah just couldn’t find it in her to stay still when talking about Bella.

“Whatever you want, I’ll do it. Just please don’t tell anyone about Bella. I’ll pay you everything I have, I’ll wait on you hand and foot, I can be your own personal butler if you want—“

“Wait, what? I’m not going to tell anyone. Didn’t Bella tell you I promised her already?” Did Bella trust her that little? Just the idea of Bella not having faith in her, especially after their talk, made Leah’s hackles rise.

“No, she kind of fell asleep before she could say much.” Jacob sounded pretty sheepish about that. Most likely realized he had called to protect Bella for nothing. Classic Jacob, rushing to Bella’s aid before he even knew if she needed help or not. It wasn’t something Leah disliked about him over the years, but damn could it be annoying. “...are you sure you won’t tell anyone?”

Leah focused back on the conversation only to hear those last words, and scowled. Either Jacob trusted Leah way less than she realized, or he had really jacked up his protectiveness to a whole other level. 

Of course, that’s when the long cut along Bella’s face, neck, and who knows where else came to mind, and Leah shuddered in remembrance. Her own protective instincts rose, and her heart hurt for how much Bella must have suffered to get that kind of wound. If Jacob had seen that on Bella, she couldn’t blame him for being in overprotective overdrive.

“I won’t tell anyone, Jake,” Leah said at last, unable to keep herself from letting out a huff of annoyance. “I’m not cruel.”

“Yeah.” Why the hell did Jacob have to sound so unsure when he agreed? He was asking to get punched. “Yeah, of course.”

Leah and Jacob stayed on the line for a moment, both silent, both unsure of what to say next. Right as Jacob was about to awkwardly say goodbye, Leah sighed.

“Just keep me updated, okay?” The worry in Leah’s voice was what got to Jacob, really reassuring him that she wouldn’t tell anyone. “Whether you like it or not, I’m involved now. I’m not going to be happy if you try to leave me in the dark.”

“Sure thing.” As much as Bella allowed, anyways.

“And why the hell aren’t you asleep? Don’t you have school tomorrow?” What was Leah turning into, her mom? But she couldn’t stop herself from asking, if only for Bella’s sake. If Jacob had school, what would Bella be able to do for all of those hours? Maybe Leah should offer to hang out with her…

“Shit!” Jacob cursed, realizing it was already nearing five o’clock in the morning. “You’re right I have to go, night Leah.”

“Jake, wait—“ Before Leah could try to offer herself to help keep Bella busy, Jacob had hung up. “That damn…” Leah started to call him back, only to stop. Knowing how stupid he could be sometimes, he probably left his ringer on. She didn’t want to risk calling back and possibly waking up Bella or, worse, someone else in the household. She had no idea how she’d be able to explain calling Jacob so early without mentioning Bella.

Letting out a groan, Leah went back to her bedroom, only to freeze in surprise. Oh yeah, Sam was here. He had slept over and had been asleep by the time Leah could come back from her time with Bella. He was why she had left the room in the first place when she took Jake’s call.

For some reason, beyond her annoyance at Sam falling asleep in her bed while they were still fighting, Leah just couldn’t bring herself to climb into bed with him for a second time. She almost felt...guilty.

The guilt was just stupid. She shouldn’t feel guilty just because she worried about Bella Swan...she had no  _ reason _ to feel guilty about Bella Swan.

The intensity of Bella’s eyes, the way Bella felt under her, flashed through her mind. It had been an accident, being on top of Bella for so long. There was just so much going on at the time…

Screw it, Leah couldn’t deal with this anymore. She was going to sleep on the couch. Sleep, and not give one more thought to Bella Swan or Sam Uley.

If only Leah’s dreams agreed with her.

  
  



End file.
